The AM Forum

Hola guys,

I thought this would get a few laughs.  Over the summer I've crash coursed sailing and converted a kayak into a sailboat with outriggers, a crab claw sail and daggerboard, etc. (old Polynesian design)  Been having a ball paddling and sailing with Yaz. He goes everywhere -  lakes rivers and loves it.

The plans are for a much larger sail with a second smaller one on the back.  The sails are all homemade and the outriggers are PVC 6" pipe. I've used aluminum railing pipe fittings quite a bit throughout the rig.  By pulling 6 pins, the sailboat converts back into a stock kayak for regular paddling.

So far we've caught some 15 mph winds and have had some wild rides. Have done some kayak fishing too.

I hope to sail right into early November with a wet suit.

We'll post a few more shots as I can upload them. Comcast is still slow as molasses.

Later -

Tom, K1JJ

Dude, where's the antenna?

Bill

Hey Tom I like that Good Job.....Nothen beats a Good Dog Too....

Cool stuff. Looks quite seaworthy there cap'n.
Now you need to upgrade that hat.

(http://w2jtd.com/images/ted.jpg)

It'll never work. I don't see no duct tape!

Kon Tiki Tom

 yyeahh.

  Sail away...
     Sail away...
        ^{Sail away...}

That reminds me -- whatever happened to the Red Green show.  I thought it was a riot :)

Al VTP

Here's the admiral on the back barking orders.

First "sea trial" - 30 seconds later shipwrecked on shore rocks. Didn't know how to tack into head wind yet.... :-0

This is the small crab claw sail. The big one oughta be real trouble.

T

Ah, finally a new picture came thru....  Comcast is terrible uploading-

Yep, Rick, you're correct - this is 1000 year old South Pacific Tiki technology... :-)  I plan to hand-paint one of those Easter Island faces onto the big sail.

Bud, there IS some duct tape, rather, double sided outdoor carpet tape that holds the sail seams together, with nylon sew stitching too. That's a funny pic of red. It might win the $1000 prize on that redneck show... :-)

Bill... I'll bet the aluminum spars of the "V-beam of the larger sail wud make a beautiful loaded whip for 75M being about 18' long. Problem is with a battery the kayak wud be close to sinking. Right now with Yaz being 60 pounds and the extra weight of all the sail infrastructure, the scupper holes are filling with water. I plug them for now. I'm considering building a bigger canoe with a 1000 pound capacity to handle the big sails and make everything interchangable. In the colder wx you don't want to get wet. But in the summer, it's a water sport after all.

Paul, yes I do need a new hat. I was thinking of one of those pirate three cornered types with a matching one for Yaz. The standard captain cap looks just a little too gay to me.

T

Hi Al,

Steve Smith decided 15 seasons was enough. So he married off Harold, resigned as Head Lodge member and retired to Port Asbestos with Bernice.

Rumor has it Dalton Humphry is now head possum and Winston is second in command....... when he ain't pumpin' septic.

Red Green (http://www.redgreen.com)

Here's the big crab claw. Notice the tripod on the kayak front to support it.

The kayak is very light and needed to have the hull stress distributed well. The power to weight ratio is quite good but control is the question.

I hope to take this out next week. If it works out, add the samller crab claw to the rear as a "mizzen" as an air directional rudder.

T  

The carpeting is to give Yaz a good grip in heavy seas... :-)

Close up of the stress distriibution techniques. Notice the nylon straps going around the rear (stern) to better absorb the outrigger flexing.

Close up of front rigging to distribute stress.

The big crab claw sail is about 80 sq ft...  Most aftermarket kayak sails are between 10-20 sq ft. Oughta be sporting. No substitute for QRO or sq ft.

T

T,
That is so cool!  Neat setup you have there!

I haven't purchased a kayak yet.  Probably won't this year.

Working on a new project instead. Put fishing off for this year and decided I needed a shed so I'm building a shed out back for the future tractor and the old motorcycle that is in restoration mode.

That sail is a big block no doubt.  I see the four bolt mains to hold it in place  ;D

Thanks, Bob -

Yes, a big block and four bolt mains... heh heh.

OK on the new shed. Good luck with it. A good infrastructure is necessary to projects.  Chuck just added a 5? car garage for his antique car hobby.  We all need toys.

BTW, the sails are made out of inexpensive UV resistant poly-tarp.. the same stuff you can buy at Home Depot, but a more heavy duty version.

Here's a shot of the admiral getting suited up for a voyage.

T

That first picture with Yaz in the water looking at the rig. I can picture him thinking....."Boss doesn't this aluminum belong on top of the tower"

Are those pontoons the missing lamp posts on RT 2????

Anytime you want to launch off Giants Neck you are welcome.
(but not this weekend)

What a cool project, Tom! Your clamp on design is a very clever bit of engineering. Looks like you and Yaz are have Way too much fun.

I'm wondering, are those varnished foils in photo 028A lee boards or rudders? Are you trying to steer the boat with kayak rudder? Is it possible to change tack by jibing?

I wish I could find the photos of the Nova Scotia style lobster boat that we saw in Lunenburg a a few years ago. Some guy from Quebec had added amas converting it to a power-tri. It was a pretty wild looking boat even without the psychedelic paint job. I'm still baffled as to what he was trying to achieve.   

Hi Frank -

Maybe in late Sept we'll come down and try the ocean sailing at your pad.



Hi Paul - 
Yes, those are leeboards/ off-set dagger boards to keep the boat from being pushed sideways in cross winds, as you know. In addition, I just built a steering oar as a rudder for the big sail.  The little rudder is good for about 10 knot winds, then fades.

It's hard to believe, but I can turn the boat easily and tack just by hitting hard rudder and then letting the single crab swing about and off we go. I just built a second small crab claw to go on the back and make it a tandem sail arrangement. Evidently you don't really need a rudder much with tandem cuz of the control realized from the second rear sail. (mizzen)


****  Here's my favorite crab claw sailing videos from U-Tube. All homebrew boats. Check these out. These capture the true spirit of the sport:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtXvum2Me34&eurl=http://www.wingo.com/proa/links.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ0VS6jubDk&feature=related


This is what I hope to achieve... watch this guy go with his crab claw...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4FADWXmuHk&feature=related


Now this is SICK!  A sailboat going for the 50 knot record.... I'd like to make a scaled down version someday. These guys are hitting 30+ knots in 15 knot wind!  This is all wind power.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nFhNWu1G4E&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X6l-xFFP7A&feature=related

73,

T

Very FB Job on the Carpeting Tom...Great project Looks very sea worthy...Enjoy it lots...

Thanks, Jack.

Yes, the carpeting made a huge difference in traction.  With the outriggers both of us can actually stand up and walk around if desired. It's about impossible to flip the kayak with the wide stance.

Well, it's a beautiful and windy day today. I'm heading out now until sunset to do some sailing and paddling with Yaz.

Later -

T

 " about impossible to flip the kayak with the wide stance "

I've never heard it put that way.


http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Wide+Stance

klc

Tom,

your time is being spent well. Sailing with your dog. Makes everything in me smile.  :D Enjoy while it lasts.

Ahh... back from the best day yet on the water. Sunny, windy, perfect. I'm finding the limitations of the kayak, as once I start going faster, the rush of the water (friction) is getting louder. Starting to work on the finer points to modify the design.

Kevin -  Funny stuff.  Yep, another good phrase shot to hell.

Derb - Right on, OM. Maybe most of us have 20 years or so left to enjoy before they pull the plug. Plus, a dogs life is so very short.  I try to give them as much excitement as possible.  :-)

Hope you're doing well there, Derb.

Later -

T

New MRI soon, maybe in 3 to 4 weeks.  We'll know a lot more after that.  ~OFF~ to the shack.

gotta make some stuff happen.

Does this mean it's only a matter of time until we hear you on 14.313 as K1JJ/Mickey Mouse? I heard tell that Fuzzy Zulu and Tourettes Tolassi are no longer there, you could be channel mazzah.

Just remember what they say about electricity and water is even more true about HV and H²O.....  ;)

fantastic piece of work Tom!! You're re-creating thousands of years of sail tech evolution in the space of a few months. You'd get a kick out of a friend of mine's Mini-Transat placement last summer from France to Brazil in a 21 footer.  Next time yer down to Stonington look for "Acadia" at Dodson's work docks :)

http://www.teamacadia.org/

Keep it up Man, I'll be watchin' ya from my old, traditional sloop where 8-10 knots is a big deal!!!!!!
73.1
Al
(Towboat UX)